I am happy to support this extension insofar as it is contributing to enabling and supporting street life in cities, towns and villages. It will allow people to socialise and interact on the streets. People will be able to enjoy the lovely weather we are having at the moment and make the very best of it. Generally, it brings vibrancy and energy to our cities, towns and villages. This is a good move by the Government but I wish enabling bars and restaurants to seat people on the streets was matched by a greater commitment from the Government to enliven our city and town centres and create the spaces people need, both for socialising and arts and culture more generally. Of the many protests I have attended and been involved with over the years, the Izakaya protest was one of the most enjoyable. It centred around an alternative music venue for young people, DJs and so on that is threatened with closure because of a decision by the new owners of what used to be the Central Hotel – now the Hoxton Hotel - to try to take an injunction against a club that had been operating there for years. It is a great venue for grassroots music and DJs. Think about these people who took over the hotel. The club was there when they bought it. If they did not like the fact that the club was there, they should not have bought it. They should not have tried to close down an important venue for young people and music and culture in the inner city. There was fantastic energy on the protest. I met a lot of people whom I have never seen at protests before. While I knew some people at the protest, I did not know they had any stake in this. A lot of young people were present. What drove their involvement in the protest was a sense of anger about a lack of cultural spaces where people can pursue things like developing grassroots music and different cultural pursuits and endeavours. They feel such spaces do not exist or are under constant pressure and that there is not enough support from the authorities and the State in providing those spaces for the community and society and for people involved in music and arts. People, therefore, felt the need to protest. The protest was about more than Izakaya, however; it was about a much wider issue about the spaces available. Of course, Drury Street is just around the corner from where that protest took place. Over the past while, a vibrant scene of young people sitting outside, enjoying themselves and eating and drinking has developed. There is a pleasant atmosphere. That is being shut down now because of a decision by the council, which is very regrettable. A good, new and organic development in the city centre is being taken away. It is a mistake. It is not helping the vibrance of the city. I will provide another example that was highlighted to me during the recent by-election, a matter in which we had been involved beforehand. Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, who was our candidate, is also a musician. He was involved in the campaign around The Complex. While this matter was raised repeatedly in this Chamber, it came up again during the recent by-election in Dublin Central. During the course of the by-election campaign, I met the person who ran The Complex. She reiterated and reminded me how disgraceful it was that the Government allowed The Complex to close. A lot of artists lost their studios and a lot of people who practised, rehearsed, performed or used the venue in some shape or form, as well as those were who employed in it, lost this wonderful, multidisciplinary arts, cultural and musical venue due to the lack of €6 million. The former Minister for Finance and TD for the area, Paschal Donohoe, more or less indicated that the money would be forthcoming to save the venue because it was being put up for sale but it did not materialise, despite the begging and pleading with the Government to save the venue. I had forgotten what the people running The Complex, which has since closed, proposed to the Government. I do not know if this was made clear to the Government, but it was certainly made to clear to the Department and the local authority at the time. The Complex had approximately €4 million but it needed an additional €6 million to buy the venue in order to save The Complex, all the artists' and cultural space. They proposed that the venue could be redeveloped to have social and affordable housing on top of it. It would have been a win-win for the north inner city. The Government had the chance to save a cultural space, including all the artists’ studios and rehearsal and performance spaces. It could have done all of that, as well as getting social and affordable housing on top of it, for a small amount of money, relatively speaking, in the greater scheme of things. It did not do it, however. It just refused point blank to intervene and the place has since closed down. Apparently, it is not over yet because the sale has not gone through. I once again ask the Government to look at this. If it is committed to having vibrant, cultural spaces in our cities for social interaction and all that kind of stuff, for a few million euro, it could save The Complex, along with social and affordable housing on top of it. It is a win-win for the city and for culture, arts, music and everyone. Why would the Government not do it? I appeal to it to reconsider.

Sentiment score: 0.14